Wednesday, September 27, 2023Another Rural Broadband Rollout And More Questions About High Cost, Slow Pace And No Satellite Alternative, Plus: Rematch In ABQ Swing House Seat Taking Shape We've repeatedly noted the absence of satellite internet as an additional alternative but one not promoted by the Feds or the state Office of Broadband Access and Expansion. It's as if they've never heard of it--or don't want to--even though satellite can be hooked up quickly and at a fraction of the cost of fiber. And the speed would more than satisfy many rural residents who are waiting years for fiber to reach their remote areas. Jemez Pueblo is the latest recipient of a generous grant from the Feds and state totaling $15.4 million to wire 687 connections. That's an average $22,215 each. On the other hand a slower satellite connection has a cost of about $500 for equipment and a monthly fee. But the Feds and state are not willing to go there. It's all or nothing with fiber when they could be getting school kids and their laptops on line right now--not a decade from now, if then. The WSJ has more: Nebraska’s Winnebago Tribe has long been stuck with sluggish internet service. The federal government plans to fix that by crisscrossing the reservation with fiber-optic cable—at an average cost of $53,000 for each household and workplace connected.
That amount exceeds the assessed value of some of the homes getting hookups, property records show. . . The expense to reach some remote communities has triggered concerns over the ultimate price tag for ensuring every rural home, business, school and workplace in America has the same internet that city dwellers enjoy. Blair Levin, a senior communications policy official in the Clinton and Obama administrations, says: “If you’re spending $50,000 to connect a very remote location, you have to ask yourself, would we be better off spending that same amount of money to connect [more] families?” The U.S. has committed more than $60 billion for what the Biden administration calls the “Internet for All” program, the latest in a series of sometimes troubled efforts to bring high-speed internet to rural areas.
Providing fiber-optic cable is the industry standard, but alternative options such as satellite service are cheaper, if less reliable.
Congress has left it up to state and federal officials implementing the program to decide how much is too much in hard-to-reach areas. In Montana, laying fiber-optic cable to some remote locations could cost more than $300,000 per connection. At a minimum a legislative committee could spend a day questioning the state's broadband plans and how they might weave into the mix satellite and even wireless home internet from the phone companies which is becoming more common. Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, chairman of the Communications and Broadband Subcommittee, remains sanguine about the all-fiber broadband build-out but as Blair Levin told the WSJ "money is not infinite." What is Lujan's's plan if that post-pandemic generosity reverses? Fiber is best but why not act now with some imaginative positioning of satellite and other alternatives? As for Jemez Pueblo, they've established their own company to install the fiber as have other Pueblos. STATE HOUSE REMATCH
Greg Cunningham announced that he will seek the Republican nomination to take on incumbent Representative Joy Garratt for District 29. “It was Governor Michelle Lujan-Grisham’s recent unconstitutional open and concealed carry ban that fired me up to re-run," Cunningham said. Cunningham, a native of ABQ and a Marine Corp veteran, has 22 years in law enforcement. He says: Albuquerque is in decay, and it is not due to bad policing but bad policy. Our elected officials do not prioritize public safety which has weakened our police force and exacerbated criminal behavior. Rep. Garratt could argue with Cunningham, the owner of private security firm, over whether public safety is prioritized. The fiscal 2024 city of ABQ General Fund budget is $825 million. Public safety is allocated $428 million, well over half the budget--not to mention the large public safety increases approved in recent years by the Legislature. (The city budget totals over $1 billion when various enterprise funds are included.) Garratt, an educator, is seeking her fourth two year term. In '22 she won re-election against Cunningham 53 to 47 so this is a race to watch. This is the home of New Mexico politics. E-mail your news and comments. (newsguy@yahoo.com) Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here.   (c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2023 |
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